House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves top 50 midseason prospects – AAA and MLB

By Benjamin Chase

ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 30: Max Fried #54 delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on June 30, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 30: Max Fried #54 delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on June 30, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
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Catchers/Infielders

Carlos Franco – Long a personal favorite, Franco has settled into what he will be – a slugging corner infielder without a ton of contact upside that will likely fit the AAAA slugger line for the Braves for a few years, but he could find his way to a left-handed bat off the bench. Hitting .246/.313/.418 with 16 home runs for Gwinnett this year.

Alex Jackson – The strides behind the plate have been minimal, and the back track behind the plate has been significant. Oddly, Jackson has cut loose now that he’s been moved up to AAA, showing the plate discipline and power that he flashed with Florida last year, which had him as high as the top 10 in some lists. He’s got a 1.021 OPS in 53 AAA plate appearances. Overall, Jackson is hitting .208/.302/.374 with 7 home runs.

Luis Marte – Possibly another gem found by the Braves farm system, Marte was released by the Rangers this spring, and the Braves picked him up. A career .252/.273/.342 hitter in the minor leagues in almost 700 career minor league games, Marte has not just hit with the Braves system (.348/.383/.467 over 224 PA), but he’s played sharp defense at multiple infield spots, making him a possibility as a bench bat in the infield.

Austin Riley – I’ve seen Riley as high as #1 on midseason lists. I will tell you that he’s not going to that high on Friday. It’s been impressive to see his progress the last 18 months physically and defensively, but one of my big issues with Riley is still abundant (26%+ strikeout rate, first step issues). I would like to see Riley at the end of the season for a few looks, but he might have a future more in right field than third base in Atlanta, and with the emergence of Johan Camargo, Riley’s future may be somewhere else.

Rio Ruiz – Speaking of someone who really has a future elsewhere, Ruiz deserves a chance elsewhere. He’s simply stagnated in his third year at Gwinnett, but when you watch him play, the swing is still there, the eye is still there. He really would be best served as part of a deal like the Duvall deal to get him somewhere else where he can have a chance to succeed.

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